_Dayton, OH – The Dayton Gems professional hockey team, a proud member of the “AA” Central Hockey League, announced details on the special online jersey auction for their “camouflaged” jerseys worn by the Gems during the first annual “Salute to Beer League Hockey Night” on January 7 in a CHL regular season game against the Fort Wayne Komets. Selected over the summer by a fan vote which received well over 5,000 tallies, the hunting “camo” jersey design from San Antonio, Texas based adult recreational RUT Hockey team was worn by the Gems as they honored RUT Hockey and “beer league” teams everywhere on the first annual “Beer League Hockey Night” sponsored by Heidelberg Distributing. Now that the game has been played, the Gems are giving fans a chance to bid on one of the game-worn “camo” jerseys through a special online auction via ebay.com starting on January 10 and lasting one week. The auction link can be found at www.DaytonGems.com. The bidding for each jersey will begin at $150. The first 13 jerseys will go on sale at noon on January 10 and the second set of 13 will go on sale at Noon on Wednesday, January 11. The bidding will last exactly one week for each jersey, with the first set ending on Tuesday, January 17 and the second set on Wednesday, January 18. The Gems are also offering free shipping on all jerseys for the winning bidders, or they can be picked up after the auction closes at the Gems main offices inside Hara Arena during normal business hours. In addition to the game-worn jerseys, the Gems are also placing for bid three extra jerseys with no nameplate, with the winning bidder having the option of placing their own name on the back. As part of the first annual “Salute to Beer League Hockey Night”, the proceeds raised from the online jersey auction will be donated to the charity of RUT Hockey’s choice; the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Founded in 1949, they are relentless in pursuit of their mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. This summer Clayton “Fudd” Rutan, a good friend and fan of Rut Hockey, lost his 7 year battle with leukemia. At the young age of 36 he was survived by his wife Jessica and two kids. RUT Hockey has dedicated their appearance in Dayton as well as the donation from the jersey auction proceeds to “Fudd”. The Gems return home to the comfy confines of the historic Hara Arena when they host the Evansville IceMen on Cassano’s Italian Ice this Sunday afternoon at 4pm. Fans are invited to join the Gems after the game for a free postgame skate and the first 1,000 fans through the gates starting at 6pm will get a limited edition Gems poster. Tickets are now available by calling the Gems ticket office at 275-7777 or by visiting www.DaytonGems.com. Discounted tickets are also available for groups of ten or more, and include special group perks.

_Dayton, OH – The Dayton Gems professional hockey team, a proud member of the Central Hockey League, released additional details for the upcoming first annual “Salute To Beer League Hockey Night” presented by Heidelberg Distributing and set for Saturday, January 7 inside the historic Hara Arena. After being selected over the summer in a special online fan poll which received well over 5,000 votes, nine players from San Antonio, Texas based RUT Hockey will be making the trip to Dayton for the salute to Beer League Hockey on the 7th when the Gems will wear replica jerseys of Rut Hockey’s fan-favorite “camouflaged” design. The very unique jerseys and socks feature a hunting theme complete with a woodsman camouflage pattern accented with bright orange stripes. For the fans, select $2 Beer Specials will also be on sale throughout the night at the various Hara concession stands, while the first 500 fans 18+ through the gates beginning at 6pm will receive a limited edition Dayton Gems pint glass. The RUT Hockey team will participate in a shootout at first intermission versus MegaCity Hockey, Dayton’s Beer League Hockey team that plays weekly at Hara Arena. The RUT Hockey team members will also get a Gems VIP Experience, with an opportunity to sit on the Gems bench during warmups, a chance to meet Head Coach Brian Gratz and Gems players, and a postgame party provided by the Gems. As part of the event, the Gems have partnered with RUT Hockey to host a special online auction of the game worn Gems camo jerseys on the following week, with proceeds going to RUT’s chosen charity, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of a fallen teammate. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Founded in 1949, they are relentless in pursuit of their mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. This summer Clayton Rutan, a good friend and fan of Rut Hockey, lost his 7 year battle with leukemia. At the young age of 36 he was survived by his wife Jessica and two kids. Clayton was born and raised in Willet NY as an avid outdoorsman who had a deep appreciation for the land, and its wildlife. He and his family were challenged daily from the ups and downs of his health condition and the constant trips from central NY to Buffalo. Clayton was treated primarily at the Roswell Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. Parts of Clayton’s treatments and stays at Roswell were documented by the facility. His interviews were sent to the Sundance Film Festival and were selected to be part of the 2011 film “Life In A Day”. Through Clayton’s 7 year battle he never complained once about pain or the restrictions that the disease and treatments put on him. Instead he focused on getting better and spent as much time with his family as possible. On dedicating their proceeds to charity, RUT Hockey stated “Clayton “Fudd” Rutan is a hero and warrior in our eyes and Rut Hockey would like to donate our portion of the proceeds to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, via Shoot for a Cure, in his name and honor.” Advance tickets and group discounts to “Salute To Beer League Hockey Night” on Saturday, January 7 are on sale now by calling the Gems ticket office at 275-7777 or by visiting www.DaytonGems.com. The Gems return home on Thursday night, December 29 to host the Bloomington Blaze on Cassano’s Italian Ice inside Hara Arena at 7pm. It’s another “Thirsty Thursday” featuring select $1 drafts with the first 500 fans through the gates receiving a limited edition Gems player stadium cup. Tickets are now available by calling the Gems ticket office at 275-7777 or by visiting www.DaytonGems.com. Discounted tickets are also available for groups of ten or more, and include special group perks.

Dayton, Ohio – Texas based adult recreational hockey team Rut Hockey has been named the winner of the Dayton Gems’ first ever Beer League Night, presented by Heidelberg Distributing Company, set for Saturday, January 7 inside the historic Hara Arena. This past June, the Gems asked recreational hockey teams from around the nation to submit their team names and logo to find the most innovative beer league name and logo in North America, nd after settling on six finalists, fans expressed their opinion by casting well over 5,000 votes to name Rut Hockey the winner.

“We would like to thank all of the teams that submitted their team name & logo for this contest. We had a tremendous response from dozens of teams from across North America and we are excited to name Rut Hockey our first annual winner,” said Gems President Joe Greene.

The Gems will now wear replica jerseys of Rut Hockey’s fan-favorite design during Dayton’s regular season matchup against division rival Fort Wayne Komets on January 7. The very unique jerseys and socks feature a hunting theme complete with a woodsman camouflage pattern accented with bright orange stripes.

In addition to wearing the team’s uniform, the Gems will invite Rut Hockey’s players to the game so they can participate in a special shootout against the MegaCity Hockey Club, a recreational team in Dayton, during the first intermission.

“This is an opportunity to not only honor the beer leagues of the country, but to also raise money for a charitable organization,” added Greene. “Our players will actually be wearing replicas of the camouflaged uniforms for the game, and I know they’ll have a lot of fun with it.

Rut Hockey will be given a VIP experience with the Gems on the night of the game, complete with an opportunity to sit on the team bench for warm-ups, a tour of the Gems locker room, and a meet and greet with our players and head coach after the game.

All of the game worn Rut Hockey jerseys worn by the Dayton Gems players will then be sold in an online auction the following week on DaytonGems.com, with a portion of the proceeds going to the charity of Rut Hockey’s choice.

Short for Realizing Unlimited Potential, Rut Hockey describes themselves as a tight knit group of amateur hockey players originally from all over the country that play together to help grow the sport of hockey in their community. Based out of San Antonio, TX they play in adult tournaments throughout North America.

For the fans, January 7 will feature many special promotions to honor the adult “beer league” hockey culture, including a Gems pint glass giveaway for the first 500 fans 18 and older through the gates, as well as Hara Arena beer specials.